Lamp.



% /wx v 7 W. AGNEW.

LAMP.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 21, 1910.

1,013,356, Patented Jan.2,1912.

2 SHEETSfiSHEET 1.

W. AGNEW.

LAMP.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 21, 1910.

1 Patented an. 2, 1912.

2 SHEETSSHBET 2.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH co.,wAsH|NGTON, D. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WILLIAM AG-N'EW, OF DAYTON, OHIO.

LAMP.

Application filed November 21, 1910.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that'I, WILLIAM AGNEW, a citizen of the Dominion of Canada, residing at Dayton, in the county of Montgomery and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lamps; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and tothe letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to a new and useful principle of feeding burners of lamps, and to the means for carrying out said principle.

The object of the invention is to provide an improved fuel regulator for lamps, which allows a lamp to burn for a long period of time, economically and with little or no attention.

Another object of the invention is to provide means in a lamp which prevents the oil being affected by extreme changes in temperature.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is. a longitudinal vertical sectional elevation through a lamp as constructed according to my invention; Fig. 2 is a section on the line aa of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a section on the line 12-?) of Fig. 1; and Fig. 1 shows a modified form of air retaining means for the regulator.

Throughout the specification and drawings, similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts.

In the drawings I have shown a lamp suitable for railroad usage. But it will be understood that the principle involved in my invention or discovery may be applied to any lamp for either illuminating purposes or heating purposes.

The lamp shown in the drawings consists of a casing 1 having a suitable base member 2 and lenses 3. Mounted within the casing 1 is a burner 4: which receives oil from a reservoir 5 through a vertical tube 6, a lower horizontal tube 7 a side vertical tube 8, and an upper horizontal tube 9 which connects with a vertical nipple 10 attached to the reservoir. The reservoir 5 is placed above the lamp casing l, and may be of any desirable capacity, thereby allowing the lamp to burn over a long period of time. To prevent the large amount of oil in the reservoir affecting the supply of oil to the burner and Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 2,1912.

Serial No. 593,349.

preventing its overflow, the tubes above enumerated are constructed and arranged to form a regulator as follows. The vertical tube 6 receives the wick 11 of the lamp; and the horizontal tubes 7 and 9 may be provided with any suitable means capable of preventing the escape of air and which will allow the oil to pass therethrough. In Fig. 1 this means is shown as consisting of suitable packing material 12, such as cotton, wool, hemp or the like; while in Fig. 4 is shown a plug 13 having a capillary opening 141. It is obvious that other means may be employed for this purpose. As such packing material is capable of exerting a capillary attraction, the air spaces therein will be filled with oil; while the adhesion of the sides of the capillary opening 14 will be sufficient to retain an adequate amount of oil therein to prevent the passage of the air therethrough. While in the drawings I have shown two separate means of trapping the air, it will be understood that both may be used at the same time. The oil in the reservoir 5 will flow by gravity through the nipple 10 into the tube 9, and will pass through the packing material 12 in reduced quantity. The continued flow of the oil will allow the same to feed as required, through the vertical tube 8 into the lower horizontal tube 7. The oil in the tube 7 will then pass through the packing material 12 into the vertical tube 6, where it will be absorbed by the wick 11. As the coil rises in the tube 6, the air within the tube 8 will be compressed and will exert an influence to retard the flow of oil from the reservoir. When the height of the oil in the tube 6 is approximately equal to the height of the oil in the reservoir, the pressure of the air in the tube 8 will be sufficient to prevent the flow of oil from the reservoir, thereby preventing the oil overflowing at the burner. 'VVhen the packing material 12 is used, the height of the reservoir may be greater than the height of the tube 6, as the excessive capillary attraction of the packing material is suflicient to overcome the excessive pressure. As the oil is absorbed by the wick and used in the burner, the air within the tube 8 will automatically allow the oil to replenish the supply. It should be understood that the air spoken of as being within the tube 8 is that which is trapped within said tube when the packing 12 isplaced on each side thereof.

Railroad lamps, when in use, are placed out of doors, and are subjected to the extreme variations in temperature of the atmosphere. To prevent the variations in temperature being communicated to the oil of the lamp, the heat of the burner is utilized as follows. Surrounding the tubes 6, 7 8 and 9 is an air conduit 15 which communicates with the atmosphere through a conduit or passagewaylfi in the lamp, a passageway 17 which extends through the reservoir, and a ventilator 18 on the top of the reservoir. The upper leg of the conduit 15 extends across the burner 4 and is provided with an opening 19 immediately above the lamp which allows the heated products of combustion to pass into the conduit 15. Also surrounding the tubes 6, 7, 8 and 9 is insulating material 20, which prevents the oil being heated excessively. A portion of the upper tube 9 may be left bare of insulating material, which allows some of the heat to be communicated directly to the oil through the walls of the tube. The heat of the lamp prevents the oil being chilled by the extreme lower temperature, which would cause the oil to congeal, while the insulation 20 prevents the oil being heated to a degree where it would volatilize. The temperature of the oil is therefore kept within operative limits.

The air necessary to support the combustion of the oil at the burner, may enter the bottom of the lamp through openings 21.

where it is deflected by a baffle plate 22. A circulation of air within the lamp is maintained by providing an opening 23 in the top thereof. The passageway 16, which is smaller than the opening, enters said opening. Within the reservoir, and communicating with the openings 23 and .the venti lator, is a tubular member 24: surrounding the passageway 17. The heat of the products of combustion within the passageway 17 elevates the temperature of the air within the tubular member 24:, which produces a circulation or upward movement of the air within.

WVhile I have described in language more or less specific, certain structural features of my improvements in order to more completely comply with the requirements of the statute, I do not desire to limit myself on any specific details, as it is obvious that these may be varied more or less without departing from the spirit of my invention which includes means for automatically regulating the feed of oil to the burner of a lamp bymaintaining a certain amount of air resistance in the path of the oil from the reservoir to the burner.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. In a lamp, the combination with a burner, and a reservoir, of a tubular member connecting said burner and reservoir, said tubular member being provided with means permitting the oil to pass therethrough and maintaining a volume of air in a portion of said tubular member, whereby the resistance offered by said air regulates the feed of oil from the reservoir to the burner.

2. In a lamp, the combination with a burner, and an oil reservoir mounted above said burner, of a tube comprising vertical and horizontal sections, connecting said burner and reservoir, and means in one of the horizontal tubular members adapted to prevent the escape of air from a vertical tubular member and allow the oil to pass therethrough, whereby the resistance in said vertical member due to said air regulates the flow of oil from the reservoir to the burner.

3. In a lamp, the combination with a burner, and an oil reservoir, of a tube comprising vertical and horizontal sections connecting said burner and reservoir, one of said horizontal sections being provided with a trap through which the oil may pass, and which maintains a volume of air within one of the vertical sections, whereby the resistance offered by said air serves to regulate the flow of oil from the reservoir to the burner.

4. In a lamp,the combination with a burner and a fuel reservoir, of a tubular connect-ion between said burner and said reservoir, a conduit surrounding said tubular connection and provided with an opening adapted to receive the products of combustion, and insulating material surrounding the tubular connection, whereby when said lamp is subjected to variations in temperature, the temperature of the oil will be maintained within operative limits.

5. In a lamp, the combination with a lamp burner and a reservoir thereabove, of a feed tube extending from said reservoir to said burner consisting of horizontal and perpendicular sections, one of said perpendicular sections being connected to one of said horizontal sections and another perpendicular section connecting said last named horizonance of the air in the first named perpendicular section is lessened in proportion as the oil is consumed, thus allowing the oil to feed from the reservoir to the burner according to the demands of the burner.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature,

in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM AGNEW. WVitnesses:

R. J. MOCARTY, MATTHEW SIEBLER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

. Washington, D. 0. 

